Joseph Mark Trohman (born on September 1st, 1984) is an American musician, best known for his role as lead guitarist and back-up vocalist in American rock band Fall Out Boy. He is currently the youngest member of the band.
He was born into a Jewish family in Hollywood, Florida, despite briefly growing up in South Russel, Ohio. His family eventually moved to the Chicago area, where he attended high school in Wilmette, Illinois, with Fall Out Boy’s bassist Pete Wentz. Joe even momentarily played as a touring bassist for Pete’s first band Arma Angelus in 2001, before being dubbed an official member a couple months later, this time playing lead guitar. Arma Angelus split up in 2002, and Joe Trohman, Andy Hurley, Pete Wentz, and Patrick Stump decided to create Fall Out Boy.
Regarding Joe’s musical influences, he personally was mostly influenced by bands like Metallica and Green Day. According to Joe in a 2008 interview:
So many different styles of music have influenced us individually and as a band. I think heavy metal is there. It’s not always the most predominant factor in Fall Out Boy, but it’s definitely there. Andy and I are huge metal heads.
Joe continued to be a backing vocalist and lead guitarist for the band throughout their first four albums: Take This to Your Grave (2003), From Under the Cork Tree (2005), Infinity on High (2007), and Folie à Deux (2008). However, in 2009 the band went on an indefinite hiatus. Joe decided to form a heavy metal band called The Damned Things with Fall Out Boy’s own Andy Hurley, Anthrax’s guitarists Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano, Every Time I Die’s vocalist Keith Buckley, and bassist Josh Newton. Ironiclast was released as their debut album in 2010. Joe then began working with The Damned Things' bassist Josh Newton on a new band called With Knives. With Knives' debut EP Schadenfreude was released in 2012. Joe then began working again as a lead guitarist and backing vocalist on Fall Out Boy’s comeback album, Save Rock and Roll, which was released in 2013. Fall Out Boy’s sixth album American Beauty/American Psycho was later released in 2015.